


Villain

by SpaceVinci



Series: Sanders Sides [3]
Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Virgil is not in this but he is referenced, this is ALMOST but not quite a song fic, well theoretically it's a happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 16:01:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11993124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceVinci/pseuds/SpaceVinci
Summary: Roman has an idea for some lyrics. Patton offers some feedback.





	Villain

“Patton.”

Patton jerks awake with a startled yelp to find Roman perched on his bed, staring over him with a look that seems extremely focused on something distant and half formed. It’s a disconcerting look to have this early in the morning, when the sun hasn’t yet risen to chase away the dark shadows casting about Roman’s face like children sulking on a playground. Or, well, that’s the analogy Patton’s sleep addled brain provides him with, anyway.

“Roman?” he croaks. “What is it, what’s wrong?”

“You know that song I’ve been writing?” Roman urges. He’s still lurking in a crouched position on the edge of the bed, looking unnervingly like a gargoyle. Patton wonders absently if his dream about an earthquake had anything to do with Roman jumping up and shaking the mattress.

“Weren’t you just made to be the villain?” Roman sings hurriedly when Patton fails to respond to the question. “You’re the night made corporeal, stars in your eyes -”

“Oh, yeah,” Patton yawns. “Roman, it’s -” he squints at the clock, just barely able to make out oversized digital numbers without his glasses “- 2 in the morning, can this wait?”

“What if for the last verse I put a spin on it with a similar rhyme scheme?” Roman presses, unhearing or perhaps uncaring, before launching back into song. “Wasn’t I just made to be the villain? I’ve been downright deplorable. Scars in your smile with - with…” he breaks off abruptly and huffs. “It fits.”

Patton looks at him this time, really looks at him. Roman is close enough that Patton can make out his face even despite the room’s darkness and his current state of partial-blindness. He gets the sudden sense that the shadows aren’t at fault for how dark Roman’s expression is. There’s something in the way Roman is chewing his lip, is worrying a knot between his eyebrows, is staring right at Patton without seeming to actually see him that makes Patton stop caring how early it is and reach out to give Roman’s hand a reassuring pat.

“Hey,” he says. “Roman. You’re not the villain.”

Roman sinks down to a sitting position that doesn’t look any more relaxed. “It fits,” he whispers again.

“Ro, look at me.”

Roman’s eyes focus a little more, and the look he gives Patton is startlingly reminiscent of the face Logan makes when he’s preparing himself for criticism. Just, sadder. Or more scared, maybe. Like he’s bracing himself for a punch he’s fully sure he deserves.

“You’re not the villain,” Patton repeats. “Neither of you are. There isn’t a villain in this story. That’s what the song was going to be about, remember?”

“It was - it was about how  _ Virgil  _ wasn’t the -” Roman looks away and draws his knees to his chest. Then, so quietly Patton almost doesn’t hear it, “There’s always a villain.”

“Not always,” Patton insists. “Remember back when Logan and I used to disagree so much Thomas had to make a whole video about it? No one was the bad guy there, even though we were causing a pretty big stink.”

“That’s different,” Roman insists. “You didn’t make Logan hate himself so much he decided to, to up and leave. You didn’t - ugh,” Roman growls in frustration and scrubs the heel of his hand over one eye. “It’s different.”

Patton chews on the inside of his cheek, trying to figure out how to handle this. “Roman, did you mean to hurt Virgil?”

He doesn’t get an answer for a long moment. “I didn’t know what I was doing,” Roman admits at last, and it’s in such a small voice that Patton’s mind all of a sudden flashes to comforting one of his children about something that had happened at school.

_ “I didn’t mean to call her ugly,” Liam sniffles. _

_ Patton is careful to keep his face neutral. He knows he’ll never get the whole story if Liam thinks he’s mad. “Well, then why did you say it?” _

_ “It just sorta slipped out.” Liam looks up at Patton with big brown puppy eyes, and it this point, Patton can’t even consider being mad. “Am I a bad person, Dad?” _

_ “Of course not, kiddo,” Patton assures him, pulling him into a hug. “Just because you make a mistake doesn’t make you a bad person.” _

“But you’re sorry, aren’t you?” he says to Roman now.

Roman nods.

“Well, if you were the villain,” Patton reasons, “you wouldn’t be sorry, would you? Roman, you can do some not-so-great things without being a villain. It’s like…” he wracks his brain, trying to think of a character he can use as an example. “You know how Megamind does some pretty bad stuff, and he thinks he’s a villain, but deep down he’s actually a good guy?”

Roman frowns. “Yeah?”

“You’re a good guy, Roman. And a Good Guy, with capital G’s. And don’t you ever think otherwise.”

Roman sighs and offers a faint smile. “Thanks, Patton.”

“Just try and give the song a happy ending, yeah?” Patton requests. “And if you still feel bad, you can always talk to Virgil. Well, not always. Maybe not right now, since it’s - well, actually, he’s probably still up. If you  _ do  _ talk to him, can you tell him I said to go to bed?”

“If I do talk to him, I will pass on that request,” Roman agrees. The room hasn’t gotten any lighter, but the shadows on his face have receded somewhat. He climbs off of the bed and heads toward the door. “Goodnight, Patton. And… again. Thank you.”

“’Night, Roman.”

Patton yawns and nestles back into his blankets. He’s asleep again before Roman clicks the door closed behind him.


End file.
